Sunday Drive
by GLAMaholic
Summary: His rough past comes crawling back to him in a person he never thought he'd see again. Riley will be strong. She won't break infront of Ryan. But she needs him desperately. Will he see through her 'clean' self, and find the person she used to be?
1. the beginning of the end

"They are pretty cute Ryan, you have to admit that." Marissa said, starting the engine of her silver jeep Cherokee.  
  
"Yeah, I guess." He muttered, his gaze drifting towards the window.  
  
"What's wrong?" She asked, slightly concerned. Her cell phone rang with its annoying ring, and she reached for it from her bag, fidgeting with the wheel a little bit. It was Summer.  
  
As Marissa blabbed away to her friend, Ryan began to wonder, why in the world was he with Marissa? Did he feel sorry for her family situation? Was that it? He had not a thing in common with her. She was beautiful, and probably everything he ever wanted in a girl, but she wasn't what he was needing. But it would be wrong to end their relationship with her family falling apart. Ryan at least knew that.  
  
She continued to talk the rest of the drive to his home. The Cohen's home.  
  
He got out, and she told Summer to hold for a moment. "Hey Ryan, beach party tonight at Craig's?"  
  
"Uhh..you know what, I'm kind of tired."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"I'll call you tomorrow, okay?" He suggested to her pouting face.  
  
"Sure."  
  
She drove off, and Ryan walked up the driveway and into the house. He went into the kitchen where Kirsten was sitting, her work papers scattered about the island. "Hey Ryan. How was your day?" She asked, not looking up from the papers.  
  
"It was alright. Mall with Marissa."  
  
"Sounds good." She looked up from her work, "Listen, I'm probably not going to have enough time to cook dinner for you and Seth before I go to the club tonight. Sandy shouldn't be home until one or so, so how about you and Seth just order a pizza? Sound good?"  
  
Ryan shrugged, "Yeah, pizza sounds great." He reached in the fridge, pulling out a bottle of cranberry juice, "is Seth here?" He asked.  
  
"He's running a few errands for me. He should be home in a half hour."  
  
"Alright." He said, before turning and walking outside to the pool house.  
  
When he opened the glass door, Ryan was overwhelmed with a familiar smell. A mixture of sweet sex, vanilla, and cigarettes. It was all too familiar, just like the sight before him. 


	2. a simple visit

"Hey stud." Riley said, getting up off his bed.  
  
Ryan's blue eyes were wide and he was confused, "Riley?"  
  
Riley laughed a bit, "Who else?" She joked.  
  
"B-But you're supposed to be-"  
  
"I'm clean Ryan. Been out for a whole month." She said, a sleek smile pressed onto her face.  
  
No. This wasn't right. When Riley was arrested for shop lifting again, they found mounds of coke on her. She was sentenced to rehab for six to eight months. It had only been five.or was it six?  
  
"How'd you find me?" He asked, still a bit shocked.  
  
She shrugged, "I saw Trey." Ryan looked away from her. "You really should go see him you know. No matter what happened, he still is your brother." She said.  
  
Ryan looked at her and shook his head, "no, no he isn't."  
  
Riley's eyes went big, "What? What, you think that living in this place makes you any better than him, Ry? Think that those people are your family? They aren't Ryan! Me and Trey, we're your family." She whispered towards the end.  
  
She was right. They were his family. He never had his mother or his father. Her alcoholic rages, and his father jail time never made them the greatest parents. For years he followed Trey. For years he was with Riley. For years, she was a crack addict.  
  
But she looked a lot better. She had finally gained some weight, and looked much less frail. She had color in her cheeks, and a sparkle in her eye. She could have been clean, completely to the naked eye. But not to Ryan.  
  
"What's happened to you, Ryan?"  
  
"Nothing's happened Riley. You are really overreacting."  
  
She looked down at his shoes, and all the way back up to his face. "Doc Martins. Diesel, wait, no Armani Exchange Jeans, right?" She reached out, and played with the rim of his polo shirt, "I liked the old Ryan. What happened to him?"  
  
"Riley, why are you here?"  
  
She turned away from him, walking around the room, "I just got out of rehab. Do I really need to give you a reason Ryan? If you really need one, I have plenty."  
  
"Have you heard from your mom?"  
  
She laughed, "Have you heard from yours?" Ryan was silent. "Face it Ryan, we're two peas in a pod."  
  
"What do you need Ri?"  
  
She shrugged, "a place to stay would be nice." She said with a smile.  
  
"I can't. You can't stay here. If they find you-"  
  
"I figured as much." She said, a smirk on her face. She turned around, picked up her bag and began walking toward the door, "I'll see you around Ryan."  
  
"Wait!" He called, "Don't leave." 


	3. a whispered kiss

"Ryan, you said it yourself. I can't stay here."  
  
"You can stay here in the pool house. I mean, stay for tonight, they won't be home till late anyway. Tomorrow we can figure things out."  
  
"Things.?"  
  
"Well, I don't know. What are you going to do for a job? I mean, you can't just go off on your own again Riley. That was no good last time."  
  
She sat on his bed and began untying her shoes, "I don't have much of a choice Ryan. I don't have some snazzy rich people to take me in like you. No one is really excited to take in a coked teenager anyway."  
  
"Ex coked Riley."  
  
She rolled her eyes, "whatever. Can I take a shower? I mean, is it alright?"  
  
"Yeah sure." He grabbed a towel from the hall closet, handing it to her.  
  
"Thanks." She whispered. It was the first time since he saw her that he got a good look at her. She was the same Riley. The one that maybe once upon a time he loved. Maybe. Riley wrapped her arms around him quickly, "I've missed you kid. I really have."  
  
He too tightened his grasp on her. She was on his thoughts a lot. There was no doubt about that. He worried for her safety. He worried that she would never be clean. But here she was, and she was.  
  
Instinctively, Ryan pressed his lips softly to her forehead, not even realizing he had done so. She was a good two inches shorter than he was and her face pressed right into his neck. Her arms tightened their hold. She hadn't held him in a long time.  
  
Finally, she broke away and stepped into the bathroom to take her shower.  
  
Ryan had known Riley since he was twelve, they had lived in the same apartment complex. She was in the same situation as Ryan if not worse. Riley's mother, Leila, was home sporadically, leaving a young Riley with her alcoholic step father, Jake.  
  
There were times when Riley would sneak out and meet Ryan on the roof and they would get high when they were both thirteen. Trey would give them the weed that never sold. They could stay up on that roof for hours at a time, never caring about a thing in the world, including their alcoholic, and abusive parents.  
  
Freshman year came and went. They barely separated, but the party scene differed between the two. She began Cocaine, something he never thought of doing (but had done before) and he could never, ever leave her alone at a party in Chino or Long Beach. The thought of the things that Jake did to her alone made him want to hurl. He couldn't picture anyone else taking advantage of her without his shield taking over. It was his duty.  
  
They had finally lost themselves in each other summer going into sophomore year. But nothing ever changed. They stayed the same tight two that they were when they were twelve, all the way up until Riley had gotten sent to rehab. He hadn't heard from her since then. Except now. 


	4. having a past

It was definitely wrong of him to sneak a peek of her in the shower, but yet he had done it anyway. Her body looked outstanding. Her curves leaving Ryan in all thoughts of wonder and amazements. She definitely was the same Riley.  
  
He sprawled out on his bed, and picked up a magazine, flipping through it. He couldn't really keep himself occupied. Not with knowing that she was looking that great, completely naked in the room next to him. She was so close.  
  
"Ryyyyyan!" Seth called, walking into the pool house.  
  
"Shit." Ryan muttered. He didn't think of what to tell Seth about Riley.  
  
"What? What's up man?"  
  
Ryan got off the bed, "Seth, you have to promise not to freak out about this."  
  
"About what?" Seth asked.  
  
Riley walked from the bathroom in a towel. "Hey Ryan can I borrow.Hey." She said, simply to Seth with a smile on her face.  
  
Seth turned to Riley, "freak out about there be an almost naked, super hot girl standing there? No, no problem." He whispered. He walked to Riley, "Hey there. Seth Cohen." He said, introducing himself.  
  
Riley smiled at his cute goofy looks, "Riley Madden."  
  
"Uh, Seth, this is Riley.my friend. My good old friend." He said, wanting to leave it at that.  
  
Seth realized one thing. This must have been the 'one girl' Ryan had told him about right after he had moved in. "Oh, right. Heard so much about you!" He said, slowly backing away.  
  
"I'm just going to run and change." Riley said, turning and walking back into the bathroom.  
  
"HOLY SHIT." Seth said, "what the hell is going on?"  
  
"I told you not to freak out." Ryan said, opening the door and going outside.  
  
"Alright, I'm not freaking out, but Ryan, you have to tell me what's going on."  
  
"I really don't know! She showed up here. Trey told her where I was. She's clean, I mean, she really looks it too. She looks so much better and- "  
  
"Wait, hold on for a second. Where did she come from?"  
  
"Rehab." Ryan said. Seth's eyes widened. "She had a coke problem a while back. When the cops busted her, it was that or JV."  
  
"Cocaine? She doesn't look like-"  
  
"I know. She really looks clean."  
  
"Are you.I mean, have you-"  
  
"We have a past. Had a past. Shit, I don't really know."  
  
"But what about Marissa?" Seth asked.  
  
"Marissa?" 


End file.
